While there isn’t a precise formula to find a career that is most perfect for you, the process can be made much easier with the right approach. Determining what excites you in life is an important first step. Equally important is considering your skills, preferred work environments, and personal needs. From there, you can narrow generalities down to specific job titles that match your interests, play to your strengths, and meet your needs.

Steps

Part 1

Discovering Your Passion(s)

1

Be optimistic. Some people are lucky enough to feel guided by a calling that never wavers, but if you are trying to figure out which career is right for you, you might feel a bit more overwhelmed by choices. Don’t let this get you down! Reject the idea that there isn’t any perfect job just because none springs to mind right away. Increase your chances of finally finding it by believing that it really is out there![1]

Keep the right company. Stoke your sense of optimism by surrounding yourself with people who follow their passions and find fulfillment in their careers. Avoid killjoys who insist that all jobs are soul-crushing dead-ends.

Value experience gained from your current or former job. Even if you are eager to put it behind you, don't consider it a total waste of your time. Appreciate the skills you gained from it and use those as a selling point for yourself.

Embrace having so many choices. Instead of feeling intimidated by so many careers to consider, think of this as an adventure! Sure, you may not know where you're going to end up just yet, but let that uncertainty excite you rather than worry you.[2]

2

Go back to the beginning. Review your life from your earliest memories as a kid to the present day. Have a pen and paper handy. Try to remember what used to stoke your enthusiasm. Jot down anything and everything that comes to you.[3]

Ask people who knew you way back when for their thoughts, too. Remember that your memory could be a little warped by other experiences.

For instance, you may recall dreading soccer practice as a kid. But your friends and family might remember how much you really loved it until your arch-nemesis joined the team.

Don’t worry just yet about whether you can make a career out of, say, making mud sculptures in your parents’ backyard. If that was what you truly loved to do for hours on end, write it down!

3

Connect the dots. Once you have a list of all the stuff that used to excite you, look for common themes between them.[4] Copy each item from your master list onto a single scrap of paper. Use these scraps to make collages or organizational charts. Label each collage or chart with the common element that each scrap shares.

Start with the most obvious similarities. For instance, “painting,” “drawing,” and “sculpting” could all be headed under “Art.”

Duplicate each scrap as needed. If, for example, you were a varsity runner in high school, “track & field” could appear under “Sports,” “Outdoors,” and “Leadership.” Due to the nature of the sport, it could even appear under “Teamwork” and “Individualism” at the same time.

Look for less obvious themes, too. Even though they appear unrelated, such items as “riding the train,” “going to coffee shops with the gang,” “school trips to the Natural History Museum,” and “reading Bukowski” could all be tied together under “Urban Environment.”

4

Step back from your search. Resist the urge to rush the process just so you can identify your passions this very minute and be done with it. Allow yourself some time to connect the dots, rather than force connections that may not really be there. Unless you’re passionate about sitting in a chair and staring at collages, walk away to clear your head.

Instead of just mulling over it, partake in one of the activities that you wrote down. Immerse yourself in it and enjoy it for its own sake. Afterward, think about your experience. Write down any new thoughts, memories, or perspectives. Then add those to your collage or chart.[5]

Part 2

Figuring Out What You Need from a Job

1

Determine your skillset. Whether you are still in school or have a job, consider your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to schoolwork or work-work. Think about what sorts of environment you typically thrive in, as well as which ones prevent you from succeeding. Ask yourself:[6]

Do I thrive when I’m working with a team, or do I work better on my own?

Do I need the freedom to work at my own pace, or do I benefit from having well-defined deadlines?

Do I appreciate having a steady routine, or do I grow bored with having to do the same thing day in, day out?

Do I enjoy attention, or do I shun the spotlight?

Do high-stress situations make my work suffer, or does it motivate me to succeed?

2

Consider your “focus.” Think about how you approach a project. Expect your approach to define you as one of two types of people: “promotion-focused” or “prevention-focused.” Consider the following:[7][8]

Do you expect everything to work out naturally (promotion), or do you hope for the best but plan for the worst (prevention)?

Are you comfortable thinking in the abstract (promotion), or do you need hard data to inform your decisions (prevention)?

Do you adapt quickly to sudden demands that need to be done by yesterday (promotion), or do you need a solid plan to get things done (prevention)?

Are you open to trying lots of new ideas (promotion), or do you believe in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy (prevention)?

Do you feel ignored if no one commends you for your work (promotion), or do you prefer letting the work speak for itself (prevention)?

3

Examine your expectations. Now that you have figured out what sort of skills and focus you would bring to a job, consider what you hope to get out of your dream job. Aim to find a job that you will not only be good at, but feel fulfilled by, too. Ask yourself:[9]

“What sort of paycheck do I need right now?” Consider the basic cost of living, any debt you may have, and the lifestyle you want right now.

“What sort of paycheck will I need later?” Think about future concerns like marriage, kids, or caring for your parents as they age, as well as the lifestyle you hope to achieve later in life.

“Am I only concerned with supporting my basic needs and lifestyle, or do I want to make a larger difference in the world?” If the latter, how big of an impact are we talking about? Literally the whole world, or on a more local level?

4

Consider logistics. Think about how much change you are willing to accept not only in career, but in your daily life. Consider any responsibilities or attachments you may have in your life. Gain a clear idea of what you are willing to sacrifice in terms of time. Think about:

How much time you are willing to commute each day.

How often you are willing to travel for business, and for how long.

How willing you are to move to a new location.

If you are willing to move, how far away.

How flexible a schedule you will need to deal with other commitments (children, pets, aging parents, etc).

Part 3

Narrowing Your Search

1

Start with your passions. Refer back to the common themes you found between your various passions. Use these as your initial guide to determining what sort of general fields you would like to work in. If possible, also use these to identify where you imagine yourself working and the general nature of your job.[10]

For example, if your themes included “Teaching,” “Outdoors,” and “Physical,” you may wish to consider, say, becoming an instructor in outdoor survival skills in a more rural area, rather than a public school teacher in a major city.

Only use your passions to point you in the right direction. Even though you enjoy, say, running laps on the track, keep in mind that this doesn’t guarantee that you will find a career as a professional athlete fulfilling.[11]

2

Consider your “focus.” Save yourself time by only looking at jobs that appeal to your personality type as well as your passions. Based on whether you are promotion- or prevention-focused, scratch ill-fitting jobs off your list. If the most obvious choice doesn’t suit you, consider other positions within that field.[12]

If you are promotion-focused, concentrate on fields that grow or change very quickly. Prioritize job descriptions that offer the opportunity for personal recognition and advancement.

If you are prevention-focused, favor jobs in an established field that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Look for positions that demand precise attention and planning.

Let’s say one of your passions is making movies. A promotion-focused person may be better suited for the riskier and more visible role of an actor. A more prevention-focused person may prefer a position behind the scenes, such as a set designer or visual effects engineer.

3

Consider your skills and qualifications. As you narrow down your search to more concrete job titles, factor in your background. Determine whether your particular skillset can be applied to each job. Also find out if you meet all of the requirements or whether you need additional training or education.[13]

Don’t be immediately discouraged if you don’t meet each exact requirement. Some jobs will demand very specific qualifications (such as a degree in law or medicine for lawyers or doctors). Others may list similar requirements (say, a degree in English), but will still consider applicants with other degrees, or even just suitable work experience.

4

Reevaluate your current job. If you are already employed, take a good look at your current situation before leaping into a whole new career. Now that you have a better idea of what you want out of a job, reevaluate your present work based on the same criteria that you have used to find potential new jobs. Determine if your whole career path up to this point has been wrong for you, or just the current circumstances. If it’s only the circumstances, you may only need to switch employers! Ask yourself:[14]

If my exact position is perfect for me, does the company’s overall mission appeal to me?

Does the company’s work culture match my own?

Would I find this same exact job much more fulfilling if I worked with entirely different people?

5

Sample careers on a trial basis. Seek out internships and volunteer positions if possible to gain a better idea of what the work will actually involve. Gain a clearer perspective on what it will demand from you. Make sure that the reality is acceptable to you, before you end up in a job that doesn't resemble your romanticized vision of it.

If an employer that you are interested in doesn't offer an internship or volunteer position matching the exact work you'd like to pursue, see if they offer any others. Even though you won't be doing what you hope to do, you can still gain insight into the organization's inner workings.